Past Winners
2023 Winners
Official Results of the 2023 Caring For Our Watersheds: Final Presentations at Oak Hammock Marsh on April 22nd.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. Over 180 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Alyssa Fernandes, Patricia Babao, Cassandra Calixto from West Kildonan Collegiate for their proposal called, “Plastic and Periods: It’s Time for a Change.”
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Alyssa Fernandes, Patricia Babao, Cassandra Calixto | Plastic and Periods: It’s Time For A Change | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Courtney Soltys | I Beg Your Garden | Lork Selkirk School |
| 3 | $800 | XiangYu (Cherry) Wang | Writing Instrument Waste Reduction | Miles MacDonell Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Sarah Ehmann, Athena Giancola, Ava Moldowan, Makaya Bratt | Clean & Green | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Cherish Bukola | Upcycling Tires for a Greener Watershed | Miles MacDonell Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Emma Weiss, Olari Wachukwu, Ava Fernandes | Community Garden (aka Planting Hope) | Lockport School |
| 7 | $450 | Tilia Madsen | Controlling Purple Loosestrife | West Kildonan |
| 8 | $400 | Lorraine Dabasol | Green Eating! | Miles MacDonell Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Tristan Lee | What’s a honeybee’s favorite kind of flower? A Bee-gonia. | Miles MacDonell Collegiate |
| 10 | $300 | Seren Fil | Eco-bricks | Seven Oaks Met School |
| 11 | $250 | Julian Maluzynsky | Piano Furniture | Seven Oaks Met School |
2022 Winners
Official Results of the 2022 Caring for Our Watersheds: Manitoba Contest Final Competition, hosted by the Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre on April 30th, 2022
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. 250 proposals from 370 students were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Harriet Newcombe, Avnish Bhandal, & Tavian Pettitt from Shaftesbury High School for their project, “The Effervesce-fence”.
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Harriet Newcombe, Avnish Bhandal, & Tavian Pettitt | The Effervesce-fence | Shaftesbury High School |
| 2 | $900 | Jenna Lavallee | Food For All | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 3 | $800 | Jerzy Halas | Project Yellow | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 4 | $700 | McKenna Green & Ethan Nemetchek | The Future of YOUR Hockey Sticks | Westwood Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Breanna D’Agruma & Rae Baxter | The Story of Frog Plains | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Olivia Johnson | Let’s Bike! | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 7 | $450 | Ye-Eun Ryu | Redefining Canine Playtime | The King’s School |
| 8 | $400 | Trisha Ramilo | Webcomic | The King’s School |
| 9 | $350 | Ais Virtucio | Bird’s Eye View | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 10 | $300 | Chloe Betanio | A Plan for the Disposal of Cosmetics with Terracycle | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
2021 Winners
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. 283 proposals from 365 students were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Nathan Varghese and Julian Joaquin from Westwood Collegiate for their proposal, “watAR: Enhancing Watershed Education Using Augmented Reality.”
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Nathan Varghese & Julian Joaquin | watAR: Enhancing Watershed Education Using Augmented Reality | Westwood Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Jasper Bain, Megan Morant, & Angela Gamayao | Saying Goodbye to Sorry Deicers | Westwood Collegiate |
| 3 | $800 | Nicholas Kiesman | Composting for a Cause | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Victoria Gordon Pagard | Unmasking the Truth | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Laura McKay | Reduce Plastic at Pawsh | Westwood Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Chasz Ducharme | Custom Keyboard Building Project | Seven Oaks Met School |
| 7 | $450 | Kylee Pedersen | Nurturing Nature in a Toxic World | Warren Collegiate |
| 8 | $400 | Logan Monforton | Leaving a Mark | Warren Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Jonathan Salo | Mini Eavestrough Pond and Garden | The King’s School |
| 10 | $300 | Jade Bugia | Picture a Cleaner Watershed | Valley Gardens Middle School |
2020 Winners
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. Over 360 entries were received from more than 570 students across Manitoba!
Due to regulations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, a final contest was not held this year, and the prize money was split evenly among the top 10 projects.
| Final Place | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| Top 10 | Sienna Hodson & Kali Westbrook | Solar Powered Watering System | Virden Collegiate Institute |
| Top 10 | Kayla Whiteside | Growing a Healthy Future | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| Top 10 | Abby Procter, Emily Fehr, & Sarah Crockatt | Clothing Swap Proposal | Warren Collegiate |
| Top 10 | Danica Dunmore | The Westwood Prairie Green Space Initiative | Westwood Collegiate |
| Top 10 | Liza Sakoli, Rizelle Pangillinan, & Regine Velasco | The Last Plastic Bag | Elmwood High School |
| Top 10 | Akita McRae | How Attractive is Your Garbage? | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| Top 10 | Nathan Janzen | Garbage Grabbing Hike Club | The King’s School |
| Top 10 | Aries Brandon-Stevens | Eco-Games | Swan Valley Regional Secondary School |
| Top 10 | Komal Garg | Odd Recycling | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| Top 10 | Tricia Ledingham | Wrapping Up the Situation | Munroe Junior High |
2019 Winners
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 13, 2019.
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Colin Hildebrand, Joryn Buchanan, Donovan Kimball, Riley Kimball | Pilot Mound Rain Gardens | Pilot Mound Collegiate Institute |
| 2 | $900 | Nicholas Kiesman | OILaway | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 3 | $800 | Jenn Fossay | Brushing Away the (Plaque)stics | Warren Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Sarah Cadotte | Removing the Stains that Microplastics Create | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 5 | $600 | Hannah Friesen | It’s Bloody Brilliant! | Warren Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Kathy Nguyen | Recycling Program at the YMCA East-Kildonan Branch | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Veronica Holyk | Educational Butterfly Garden | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 8 | $400 | Gabrielle Lafreniere | An Independent Greenhouse | École Edward Schreyer School |
| 9 | $350 | Katelyn LaCombe | Phones- We All Have One! | Warren Collegiate |
| 10 | $300 | Tim Gehman (Daegen Looman) | The Green New Deal | Westwood Collegiate |
2018 Winners
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 28, 2018
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Noah Penner | Parkland Greenway- Grass Planting | W.C. Miller Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Xavier Schneider | A Day in the Life of Netley-Libau Marsh | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 3 | $800 | Jenna Kowerko | Making Beauty Sustainable | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 4 | $700 | Lhili Kolbauer | The Ecological Impact of Batteries | Westwood Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Chinemerem Chigbo | Informative Watershed Video Game | Miles Macdonnel Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Hannah Petrie | Boyne River Curriculum | Carman Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Alexander Clemis & Faouzia Ouihya | Begging for Air | Carman Collegiate |
| 8 | $400 | Braden Patey, Andres Rincon, & Phoenix Stevens | Watershed Fest | George Fitton School |
| 9 | $350 | Alex Loschiavo & Tyler Smith | Hockey Sock Tape Replacement | Garden City Collegiate |
| 10 | $300 | Carson Rice & Lyam Haslen | #savingourwatershed | George Fitton School |
2017 Winners:
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 29, 2017
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Rebecca Myskiw | Painting – It Comes Naturally! | Warren Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Nicole Buckle | Water Well Wasted | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 3 | $800 | Anna-Marie Svistoun | Garburating, Not the Green Option We Thought it Was! | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 4 | $700 | Breela Bailey | Slam Poetry | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Kennedy Link | Reducing Greenhouse Gases through Transportation | West Kildonan Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Luke Roffey | Purgin’ Sturgeon: Collecting Litter By Canoe in Sturgeon Creek | Westwood Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Erin Coutler/Morgan Chapman | Green Waste | Virden Collegiate Institute |
| 8 | $400 | Rebecca Knapp | Watersheds Art Mural | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Evan Yakimenko | “In” Salting the Earth | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 10 | $100 | Hannah Petrie | Educational Lesson Plan | Carman Collegiate |
| Eprize | $50 | Liam DeLeon | “Recycle the Present, Save the Future” | Maples Met School |
Check out some of the videos from this year’s finalists!
View the Slam Poetry video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIYXoqDoVQQ
View the Recycle the Present, Save the Future video here: https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/dNIvgzPgSXd/?mode=presentation#/
2016 Winners:
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 30, 2016
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Hunter Watson & Alissa Lee | A Watersheds Awareness Dance Show | Westwood Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Marianna Pozdirca | Reducing Paper Use | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 3 | $800 | Katelyn Lourenco | Eco-friendly Dry Erase Markers | Garden City Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Delaney Rosentreter | Falcon Lake Underwater Cleanup | Westwood Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Laura Wallace | Floating Away Eutrophication | Virden Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Madeline Mann | Cleaning up the School | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Sheree Mendoza | Cigarette Butts | Garden City Collegiate |
| 8 | $400 | Taylor Bean | No Fly Zone | Lord Selkirk Regional Comp. |
| 9 | $350 | Bronwyn Neufeld | Washing Away Problems in Lake Winnipeg | Lord Selkirk Regional Comp |
| 10 | $300 | Bailey Gitzel | School Garden and Outdoor Classroom | Carman Collegiate |
2015 Winners:
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 18, 2015
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Anna Monserrat | Greener Paving | Westwood Collegiate |
| 2 | $900 | Eric Peebles & Zachary Mayham | Saving our Watershed | Argyle Alternative School |
| 3 | $800 | Nadia Braun & Joe Toews | Replacing Flushers in School Bathroom Toilets | Landmark Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Ashley Blackshaw & Kelsey Barkley | The Prevention of Eutrophication & soil erosion | Virden Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Mykyla Sousa & Annika Kjerulf | Klimate Kids | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Taylor Mutch | Medications: I Don’t Flush | Thomas Greenway Middle School |
| 7 | $450 | Angelica Soares | Looking Good, it just might Kill you | Lord Selkirk Regional Comp. |
| 8 | $400 | Sarah Kok & Sophie Burton | Reducing refills | Garden City Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Ethan Strain & Jake Kitto | The New Face of Gardening | Virden Collegiate |
| 10 | $300 | Jared Nicolas & Richard Graham | Composting, and building a garden | Miles Macdonell Collegiate |
2014 Winners:
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 12, 2014
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Janelle Klainchar | Fixing the filter | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 2 | $900 | Kailey Evans | Green Learning Proposal | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 3 | $800 | Ruby Kast & Hailey Dugay | Whoa! Don’t flush those meds! | Gimli High School |
| 4 | $700 | Erik Rogalka | Bottle Filling Stations in Hockey Rinks | Garden City Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Bailey Plaisier & Mack Hardy | Erosion control near Harrison Bridge | Virden Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Monique Sereneo & Jane Ackerman | Phos-4-us: Creating limestone beaches around Lake Winnipeg | Westwood Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Dean Mulroy, Zenon Makowsky & Steven Hess | Wetland Creation | Gimli High School |
| 8 | $400 | Selina Ellinghaus | Floods in the Assiniboine Watershed | Virden Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Chelsea Chmilowsky | Preventing injuries | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 10 | $250 | Stacey Amos & Tristan Harper | Plant Trees | Southeast Collegiate |
2013 Winners:
The final presentations were at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on April 20, 2013
| GRADES 7-12 CATEGORY | ||||
| Final Place | Award | Student Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1 | $1,000 | Amber Fryza | Greener School Supplies | Lord Selkirk Regional |
| 2 | $900 | Lenina Howatt | Toilet Buddy Town | Nellie McClung Collegiate |
| 3 | $800 | Landis Wong | The Development of a Rain Garden to Filter the Assiniboine River | Westwood Collegiate |
| 4 | $700 | Ming Munikar | Implementation of Advanced Integrated Wastewater Pond Systems |
Fort Richmond Collegiate |
| 5 | $600 | Lane Routeledge Kaylee Daniel Brook Tolton |
Oh So Clean | Hamiota Collegiate |
| 5 (tie) | $600 | Dag Sinclair Jason Quinn |
Project Bottle 2012 | Transcona Collegiate |
| 6 | $500 | Shailyn Madsen Jacquelyn Hawkins Jenny Harrison |
Reusable Bags | Hamiota Collegiate |
| 7 | $450 | Austin Hudson | Save the Stinkin’ Slough | Thomas Greenway Middle School |
| 8 | $400 | Emma Jancovics | Rain Gardens and Brochures | Virden Collegiate |
| 9 | $350 | Dwight Kennedy Tory Okemow |
Automatic Taps | Southeast Collegiate |
| 10 | $250 | Katya Winters Emily Plaisier |
Vegetation Restoration | Oak Lake Community School |
Student’s won cash for themselves and a matching cash prize for their school.